Written Answers Thursday 3 February 2005

Scottish Executive

Concessionary Travel

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend concessionary bus travel to young people.

Nicol Stephen: The Partnership Agreement commits the Executive to the progressive introduction of a scheme of national bus, rail and ferry concessionary travel for young people initially for all in full time education or training. As I indicated in my statement in the Parliament on 22 December about concessionary travel for older and disabled people, we will announce the details of the scheme for young people in the spring of this year.

Culture

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of capital grants projects funded by the Scottish Arts Council since 1999 has (a) been late, (b) been more than 20% over budget and (c) not met operating targets.

Patricia Ferguson: This is a matter for the Scottish Arts Council. The information requested is not held centrally but we have asked the Scottish Arts Council to provide the requested information to the Member.

Culture

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any recipients of sizeable capital grants projects funded by the Scottish Arts Council since 1999 are experiencing financial difficulties which affect their continued viability.

Patricia Ferguson: This is a matter for the Scottish Arts Council. The information requested is not held centrally but we have asked the Scottish Arts Council to provide the requested information to the Member.

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts the recommendation in the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s (RCEP) 25th report, Turning the Tide – Addressing the Impact of Fisheries in the Marine Environment , that an environmental impact assessment should be carried out for every application for a new or significantly modified fish farm.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive welcomes the Royal Commission’s report as a useful contribution to debate. COSLA is currently undertaking a review of the quality of fish farm Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). The review of EIAs is a priority for action in the Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture. COSLA hopes to publish a report for wider consultation in the spring of this year, and thereafter issue guidance to developers and regulators on the minimum standards expected from fish farm EIAs.

  We are currently considering the contents of the Royal Commission’s report and will submit a formal response to the RCEP later this year. My officials will lodge our response with the Environment and Rural Development Committee as well as the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Environment

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are trained in environmental law, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of staff.

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are currently undertaking training in environmental law, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of staff.

Colin Boyd QC: All fiscals are provided with the necessary training, development opportunities and guidance material to enable them to carry out their wide range of duties, including appropriate guidance on dealing with environmental crime.

  The department has, however, established a national network of prosecutors who will develop a specialism in handling environmental cases. They will specialise in environmental cases and provide advice to colleagues in their area as appropriate. Each of the 11 areas into which the department is divided has at least one environmental specialist, who will work closely with environment protection professionals from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and other specialist agencies and participate in a programme of joint training with SEPA lawyers. There are currently 15 environmental specialists, representing 4% of all legal staff across the 11 areas.

  The department also has a number of specialists in wildlife crime and fisheries offences.

Environment

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are available to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to train staff in environmental law.

Colin Boyd QC: All Fiscals are provided with the necessary training, development opportunities and guidance material to enable them to carry out their wide range of duties, including appropriate guidance on dealing with environmental crime. In addition, environmental specialist prosecutors participate in a programme of joint training with Scottish Environment Protection Agency lawyers.

  It is not possible to disaggregate training expenditure to identify the amount allocated specifically to training on environmental law.

Environment

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been made available for the implementation of EU environmental law under Article 211 of the EC Treaty.

Ross Finnie: Primary responsibility for the implementation of EU environmental law lies with the Scottish Executive’s Environment and Rural Affairs Department, working with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other bodies as appropriate. The department’s resources allocated to this work are not separately identified but are included in its programme budgets and directly allocated costs. More detailed information on spending proposals for the Department in 2005-06 is contained in the appropriate section of Scotland’s Budget Documents 2005-06: Budget (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill Supporting Document , a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35000).

Environment

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been made available for the transposition of EU environmental law under Article 211 of the EC Treaty.

Ross Finnie: Primary responsibility for transposing EU environmental law lies with the Scottish Executive’s Environment and Rural Affairs Department. Its resources allocated to this work are not separately identified but are included in the Department’s programme budgets and directly allocated costs. More detailed information on spending proposals for the Department in 2005-06 is contained in the appropriate section of Scotland’s Budget Documents 2005-06: Budget (Scotland) (No. 2) Bill Supporting Document , a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35000).

Fisheries

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts the recommendation in the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s (RCEP) 25th report, Turning the Tide – Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment , that the code of containment for fish farms should be strengthened and made mandatory.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive welcomes the Royal Commission’s report as a useful contribution to debate. Developing guidance on containment is one of the 33 Priorities for Action in the Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture. The containment working group has drafted an improved Containment Code of Practice that will be included in the Industry Code of Practice. This will be subject to public consultation.

  We are currently considering the contents of the Royal Commission’s report and will submit a formal response to the RCEP later this year. My officials will lodge our response with the Environment and Rural Development Committee as well as the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

General Practitioners

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the changes to the GP out-of-hours service.

Mr Andy Kerr: Putting in place the new arrangements for providing primary care out-of-hours services across Scotland has been a major and challenging task for the NHS and its staff. However, I am satisfied that NHS boards and their partners across Scotland have undertaken a thorough and robust process in developing these arrangements.

  All of the major stakeholders, including GPs, NHS 24 and the ambulance service, have been closely involved to develop the new arrangements and public consultation has played a key role in shaping the plans.

  All providers of out-of-hours primary medical services, including NHS boards, were required from 1 January 2005 to meet the quality standards set out in guidance issued to NHS boards by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will undertake a programme of visits to NHS boards to review local arrangements for ensuring the safe and effective provision of out-of-hours services.

Health

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will bring forward the date for a recommendation in respect of two-view mammography as the standard breast-screening method so that the procedure can take place with immediate effect.

Rhona Brankin: No. The Breast and Cervical Screening National Advisory Group agreed at its first meeting in October 2004 to look at a number of issues that would impact on the future development of the breast screening service. This includes the need to address health inequalities, the potential of digital mammography, the screening age range, and the screening of high-risk women as well as the impact and effectiveness of introducing two-view mammography. The Breast and Cervical Screening National Advisory Group expect to consider a report on all these potential developments and will in turn make recommendations to ministers towards the end of 2005.

Housing

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to aid the development of rural Scotland, for example by increasing the amount of quality rented housing in rural areas.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is committed to maintaining strong, prosperous and growing communities in rural Scotland. Examples of the wide range of measures we are taking to achieve this are set out in our Annual Rural Report, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/rural/anrr04-00.asp .

  On housing, we have increased our investment in rural areas this year to nearly £80 million which will fund more than 1,400 affordable homes. This includes both quality housing for rent and low-cost home ownership units. The percentage share of the housing investment programme allocated to rural areas now stands at a record high of 28% in 2004-05, compared with 20% in 1999-2000.

Housing

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations are being undertaken on a review of the right of tenants to buy houses belonging to local authorities and housing associations.

Malcolm Chisholm: We have already consulted with interested parties on the structure of the report on the effect of the right to buy which requires to be presented to Parliament by September 2006. We will be engaging with stakeholders further during the preparation of the report to ensure that it covers issues of concern to them.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures exist to assist first time buyers to access the property market in their local area and how much funding was allocated for this purpose in each of the last seven years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following are the main grants available to assist first time buyers to access the property market.

  Housing Association Grant (HAG) – HAG is a flexible way of providing funding which enables housing associations to provide, with the minimum public subsidy necessary, housing for share ownership and social rent.

  GRO Grants for Owner Occupation – The purpose of GRO Grants is to widen the choice of housing for people seeking to become home owners. The grants are targeted at areas of wholly public sector housing and also at pressurised housing markets, helping to facilitate the regeneration and sustainability of communities.

  Rural Home Ownership Grants (RHOGs) – RHOGs are aimed to sustain rural communities by making it easier for local people on low or modest incomes to own their own home and meet their housing needs or aspirations within their own community.

  Scottish Executive expenditure across the last seven years on these grants for owner occupation is shown in the table.

  

Year
Owner Occupation
(£ Million)


1998-99
38.027


1999-2000
29.981


2000-01
22.967


2001-02
14.921


2002-03
13.434


2003-04
14.834


2004-05 estimated outturn
20.851

Housing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has that local authorities may have moved funding from handyman services and aids and adaptations for tenants in the socially-rented sector in order to provide the required contributions to funding the Care and Repair Scheme.

Johann Lamont: Aids and adaptations and handyman services for tenants in the social rented sector are funded from rents and specific grants from Communities Scotland. This funding would not be eligible to be used to support Care and Repair services, which work to improve housing conditions in the private sector.

  Additional information on Care and Repair funding is available in the report "Care and Repair National Indicators 2003-04" published by Communities Scotland: http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/web/FILES/carerepair2004.pdf.

Housing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether providing capital funding for works undertaken by the Care and Repair Scheme, which may include aids and adaptations and a handyman service, through the private sector housing grant disadvantages those in the socially-rented sector from accessing such services.

Johann Lamont: We are committed to meeting the housing needs of people in all tenures across Scotland including owner occupiers. Care and Repair projects help older owner-occupiers and private sector tenants to arrange repairs and adaptations to their homes, and may also provide handyman services for small household jobs. Clients may apply for grants from the local authority, funded by Private Sector Housing Grant, to help with the capital costs of major works.

  In the social rented sector, repairs and adaptations will be arranged by the landlord, and are funded from rents and specific grants available from Communities Scotland. Registered Social Landlords can provide handyman services for their older tenants if they wish, to help with jobs that would normally be the tenant’s responsibility. In some areas agreement may be reached for one agency to provide handyman services to people in all tenures. This should be arranged with appropriate financial contributions from all partners.

Housing

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Scottish Water’s capital investment has been directed to providing a service for new housing in (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2004-05.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally. In the current investment period some £200 million will secure positive benefits in addressing current constraints and an additional £41 million will address development constraints and first time connections in rural areas.

  We consulted recently on what Scottish Water’s future investment priorities should be, and in February I will announce the objectives we wish Scottish Water to address in the next regulatory period.

Judicial Appointments

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations have been made by the Judicial Appointments Board on each judicial appointment.

Cathy Jamieson: Since the board was established in 2002, it has made recommendations for filling vacancies to the Office of Senator of the College of Justice, Sheriff Principal, permanent sheriff and part-time sheriff. All of these recommendations have been accepted by Scottish ministers. The names of all successful candidates in the period to autumn 2004 are published on the board’s own website at www.judicialappointmentsscotland.gov.uk .

NHS Services

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has recently designated any new national services within the NHS in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: I recently decided that the following services should be designated as national services with effect from 1 April 2005:

  the Paediatric Spinal Surgical Service, provided at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, but in close consultation with Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow to ensure the best pre- and post-operative management of the children requiring such surgery;

  Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation, provided at Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow;

  a National Managed Clinical Network for pancreatic/hepatobiliary cancer, and

  a National Managed Clinical Network for Paediatric Renal Medicine.

  These services provide highly specialised treatment for small numbers of patients, and therefore meet the criteria established by the National Services Advisory Group (NSAG) for designation either as a national service or as a national Managed Clinical Network. The NSAG recommendations were endorsed by NHS Board Chief Executives, who have agreed that the funding for these services can be taken from their general allocations. In the case of national Managed Clinical Networks, the funding relates to the administrative and IT support required by the network, not to the full cost of providing the service.

Planning

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12836 by Johann Lamont on 16 December 2004, how many responses there were to the consultation, broken down by category, and whether the analysis of responses will be published well in advance of the publication of the white paper.

Johann Lamont: The information requested is provided in Making Development Plans Deliver: Analysis of Consultation Responses which was published on 15 December. This can be viewed on the Scottish Executive’s website, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/mdpdacr-00.asp .

  The white paper is expected to be published in spring 2005.

Planning

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12838 by Johann Lamont on 16 December 2004, whether any of the five targets have been met in the last five years; if so, when and, if not, what the reasons were for the targets not being met.

Johann Lamont: The sixth report of the Planning Audit Unit provides an analysis and assessment of trends across Scotland as a whole and highlights those authorities which have met targets. Overall the report shows a general increase in the performance by planning authorities against the two month statutory target in the face of increasing numbers of applications. The Audit Report is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/paur6-00.asp .

  The following table identifies those planning authorities the performance of which matched or exceeded the performance targets set out in Scottish Planning Policy 1: The Planning System and is based on the data provided in answer to parliamentary question S2W-12561, answered on 13 December 2004, (Bib. number 34606).

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.

  

Target
01-04-1999
to
31-03-2000
01-04-2000
to
31-03-2001
01-04-2001
to
31-03-2002
01-04-2002
to
31-03-2003
01-04-2003
to
31-03-2004


80% of all applications within 2 months
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire


Inverclyde
East Lothian
 
West Lothian
 


Orkney
Inverclyde
 
 
 


West Lothian
Western Isles
 
 
 


85% of all applications within 3 months (only 4 years data available)
N/A
Angus
Angus
Angus
Aberdeen City


Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Angus


East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire
Clackmannanshire


East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian
East Dunbartonshire


East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire
East Renfrewshire


Inverclyde
Fife
Fife
Fife


Moray
Inverclyde
Inverclyde
Moray


Orkney
Moray
Moray
North Lanarkshire


Renfrewshire
Perth and Kinross
Orkney
Orkney


Shetland
Renfrewshire
Perth and Kinross
Shetland


West Lothian
Shetland
Renfrewshire
South Lanarkshire


Western Isles
West Lothian
Shetland
West Dunbartonshire


 
Western Isles
South Lanarkshire
West Lothian


 
 
West Lothian
West Lothian


 
 
Western Isles
 


90% of householder applications within 2 months
Angus
Angus
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Clackmannanshire


Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Angus
Argyll and Bute
Falkirk


Inverclyde
East Lothian
Argyll and Bute
Clackmannanshire
Inverclyde


Moray
Inverclyde
Clackmannanshire
East Lothian
Moray


Shetland
Moray
East Lothian
Inverclyde
West Lothian


West Dunbartonshire
Orkney
Fife
Moray
 


West Lothian
Shetland
Inverclyde
South Lanarkshire
 


 
South Lanarkshire
Moray
West Lothian
 


 
Western Isles
Perth and Kinross
 
 


 
 
Shetland
 
 


95% of householder applications within 3 months (only 4 years data available)
N/A
Angus
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen City


Clackmannanshire
Angus
Angus
Aberdeenshire


Dundee City
Argyll and Bute
Clackmannanshire
Angus


East Lothian
Clackmannanshire
Dundee City
Argyll and Bute


Inverclyde
Dundee City
East Renfrewshire
Clackmannanshire


Moray
East Lothian
Falkirk
Dundee


Orkney
Falkirk
Fife
East Renfrewshire


Renfrewshire
Fife
Inverclyde
Falkirk


Shetland
Inverclyde
Moray
Fife


South Lanarkshire
Moray
Perth and Kinross
Inverclyde


West Dunbartonshire
Perth and Kinross
Renfrewshire
Moray


West Lothian
Renfrewshire
Shetland
North Lanarkshire


Western Isles
Scottish Borders
South Lanarkshire
Shetland


 
Shetland
Stirling
South Lanarkshire


 
South Lanarkshire
West Lothian
Stirling


 
Western Isles
 
West Lothian


80% of all major applications within 4 months (only 2 full years of data available)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Orkney
Dundee


 
Shetland
Western Isles


 
Stirling
 


 
Western Isles
 



  The reasons why the targets are not met will vary from authority to authority. The Scottish Executive currently carries out audits of planning authorities in respect of their development control functions. These audits seek to identify areas of good practice or concern.

Planning

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12838 by Johann Lamont on 16 December 2004, against which targets there has been (a) a consistent improvement and (b) a deterioration in trend performance and what the reasons are in each case.

Johann Lamont: The sixth report of the Planning Audit Unit provides an analysis and assessment of trends across Scotland as a whole and identifies those authorities who have met targets. The audit report is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/paur6-00.asp .

  The table is based on the data provided in answer to S2W-12561, on 13 December 2004, (Bib. number 34606) and provides details of those authorities who have recorded a year-on-year increase or decrease of at least 1% in each available year of data. They do not include authorities where performance has remained static at any point over the period.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.

  

Target
Year-on-Year Increase
Year-on-Year Decrease


80% of all applications within 2 months
Falkirk
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park*
(only 2 years data available) 
Dumfries and Galloway


85% of all applications within 3 months (only 4 years data available)
Falkirk
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park*
Angus
Dumfries and Galloway
East Lothian
Highland


90% of householder applications within 2 months
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park* 
Renfrewshire


95% of householder applications within 3 months (only 4 years data available)
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park* 
East Lothian
Glasgow City


80% of all major applications within 4 months (only 2 years data available)
Aberdeenshire
Argyll and Bute
Dundee City
East Dunbartonshire
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park 
Moray
North Ayrshire
West Dunbartonshire
Aberdeen City
Angus
Clackmannanshire
Dumfries and Galloway
East Ayrshire
East Lothian
East Renfrewshire
Edinburgh
Falkirk
Fife
Glasgow
Highland
Inverclyde
Midlothian
North Lanarkshire
Orkney
Perth and Kinross
Renfrewshire
Scottish Borders
Shetland
South Ayrshire
South Lanarkshire
Stirling
Western Isles



  The reasons why the targets are not met will vary from authority to authority. The Scottish Executive currently carries out audits of planning authorities in respect of their development control functions. These audits seek to identify areas of good practice or concern.

  In view of this the Scottish Executive have also commissioned two pieces of research, resources for planning and business development and the planning system to help inform our understanding of differing performance by planning authority. The aim of these research projects is to identify and examine how efficiently staff resources are managed within local authority planning departments, to address issues of organisation, direction, motivation and morale and to consider the wider implications these may have on business development.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its consideration of new planning arrangements, it will introduce tighter restriction on permitted development rights to prevent these being used to avoid local authority development planning or environmental controls.

Johann Lamont: The Executive is currently involved in a programme of modernisation of the planning system and has a number of projects underway, which are at various stages. We will be considering the possibility of a review of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 within this context.

Recycling

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to promote recycling.

Ross Finnie: We have provided £321 million up to 2007-08 and £986 million up to 2020 to all 32 local authorities, through the Strategic Waste Fund, to improve recycling facilities. We also support local Waste Aware Scotland campaigns, which provide information to the public on new recycling infrastructure. We also continue to support the national Do a Little, Change a Lot campaign, which promotes sustainable development, including recycling.

Roads

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how the needs of road users, other than drivers, will be provided for when the A96 is upgraded.

Nicol Stephen: We are taking forward a multi-modal study of the A96 between Inverness and the Airport, which is to be carried out in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). The study will consider public transport, cycling and walking improvements as well as the upgrading of the road itself.

Skye Bridge

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of the contract documents in respect of the Skye Bridge contract in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Nicol Stephen: Copies of the contract documents have been made available today in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. The documents lodged are as follows:

  The Invergarry - Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87) Extension (Skye Bridge Crossing) Toll Order 199- Assignation Statement (Bib. number 35164)

  Concession Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Skye Bridge Tolls Limited (Bib. number 35162)

  Minute of Variation of Concession Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35165)

  Second Minute of Variation of Concession Agreement between the Scottish Ministers and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35166)

  VAT Compensation Agreement between the Scottish Ministers and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35163).

Sport

Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scottish companies can benefit from the London 2012 Olympic bid.

Patricia Ferguson: Scottish companies have already benefited from the Olympic bid through securing major contracts to produce the candidate file and manufacture banners and flags. Should the bid be successful, there will be a range of opportunities for Scottish companies to compete for and win any number of contracts that will be available.

Sport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional funding has been allocated for school sport in East Dunbartonshire and what it has been spent on in each year since 1999.

Patricia Ferguson: East Dunbartonshire received £47,120 through the TOP programme in 2000-01 and £348,853 through Active Schools in 2004-05.

  In addition to the funding from sportscotland, East Dunbartonshire has been allocated over £1.5 million through the New Opportunities for PE and Sport in Schools (NOPES) programme.

Waste Disposal

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deal with the sewage which is currently incinerated at Longannet Power Station but will no longer be disposed of in this way as a consequence of the ruling by the Court of Session on waste-derived fuel on 22 December 2004.

Lewis Macdonald: Sewage disposal from the public sewerage system is an operational matter for Scottish Water and its PPP partners. The Executive will continue to ensure, through its environmental regulators, that chosen methods of disposal comply with environmental regulations.

Water Services

Susan Deacon (Edinburgh East and Musselburgh) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to modernise Scotland’s water and sewage infrastructure.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Water is currently delivering a £1.8 billion investment programme, one of the largest in the UK, involving a higher level of investment than that currently being delivered by the private water companies in England and Wales.

  We consulted recently on what Scottish Water’s future investment priorities should be, and we will announce next week the objectives we wish Scottish Water to address in the next regulatory period.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Questions

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many questions have been lodged for the randomised computer selection for each Scottish Executive Question Time under each theme for each week since 11 March 2004.

George Reid: Details on the number of questions lodged for the randomised computer selection for each Scottish Executive Question Time under each theme since 11 March 2004 are detailed in the table below.

  

Date of Question Time
Question Topic
Number of PQs lodged


11 March 2004
General
33


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
50


Justice and Law Officers
39


18 March 2004
General
39


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
46


Finance and Public Services and Communities
31


25 March 2004
General
46


Environment and Rural Development
38


Health and Community Care
57


1 April 2004
General
48


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
50


Justice and Law Officers
42


22 April 2004
General
37


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
41


Finance and Public Services and Communities
39


29 April 2004
General
53


Environment and Rural Development
39


Health and Community Care
58


6 May 2004
General
49


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
50


Justice and Law Officers
44


20 May 2004
General
48


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
42


Finance and Public Services and Communities
37


3 June 2004
General
48


Environment and Rural Development
39


Health and Community Care
55


17 June 2004
General
40


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
40


Justice and Law Officers
42


24 June 2004
General
45


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
44


Finance and Public Services and Communities
34


1 July 2004
General
44


Environment and Rural Development
30


Health and Community Care
43


8 September 2004
General
47


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
46


Justice and Law Officers
46


16 September 2004
General
44


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
42


Finance and Public Services and Communities
37


23 September 2004
General
44


Environment and Rural Development
37


Health and Community Care
44


30 September 2004
General
53


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
50


Justice and Law Officers
42


6 October 2004
General
46


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
42


Finance and Public Services and Communities
36


28 October 2004
General
42


Environment and Rural Development
35


Health and Community Care
45


4 November 2004
General
35


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
45


Justice and Law Officers
37


11 November 2004
General
49


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
45


Finance and Public Services and Communities
31


18 November 2004
General
47


Environment and Rural Development
40


Health and Community Care
50


25 November 2004
General
44


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
41


Justice and Law Officers
41


2 December 2004
General
41


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
49


Finance and Public Services and Communities
35


9 December 2004
General
45


Environment and Rural Development
36


Health and Community Care
52


16 December 2004
General
48


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
49


Justice and Law Officers
45


23 December 2004
General
40


Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport
42


Finance and Public Services and Communities
36


13 January 2005
General
33


Environment and Rural Development
31


Health and Community Care
36


20 January 2005
General
42


Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport
41


Justice and Law Officers
42